


All Your Love Is Sunlight

by jiichan



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Fluff, M/M, Museums
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 00:10:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19734451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiichan/pseuds/jiichan
Summary: After a chance meeting in winter, Ash suddenly finds himself face-to-face again with Eiji, the young tattoo artist who was an apprentice to Ibe, a prestigious tattoo artist in Japan specializing in traditional irezumi tattoos. Ash feels drawn to Eiji and pursues a friendship with him, which turns out to have another layer to it that Ash isn't sure he should explore yet.





	All Your Love Is Sunlight

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for the Banana Fish Reverse Big Bang, partnering with Cath/sajakputih. [Go ahead and check out their amazing artwork](https://twitter.com/konism_/status/1148380876708777984)! This was such a fun project! I hope y'all like it, I haven't written anything for Banana Fish before.

Ash knew he’d be late, but he didn’t want to take a taxi. He’d told Eiji to meet him at Central Park at around noon, but it was noon when he left his apartment. He’d slept through the three alarms on his phone and had to stop by Nadia’s flower shop to get some roses for himself -- well, for Eiji.

“You can’t just take what you want without paying,” Shorter had told him.

Ash wrapped up the dozen roses in the crinkly plastic film they kept on hand for bouquets, shrugging.

“Then take this out of my paycheck,” he said.

Shorter rolled his eyes, peering over his sunglasses. He was the only person Ash knew to wear those damn things indoors. If the flower shop wasn’t all windows, he’d call Shorter out for it, but the sunlight spilling through the windows always made it bright as daylight inside.

“See you later,” Ash said as he slunk out of the shop, the holiday bells tied to the shop door jangling and clanging against the window. 

“Good luck, lover boy,” Shorter teased.

Ash flicked him off, a nervous grin on his face as he rushed his way down the street, dodging people on the sidewalk.

It took him a few weeks to realize he loved Eiji. Weeks to admit to himself that he loved Eiji not just as a friend.

* * *

It wasn’t exactly the first time he saw Eiji the day he walked into the shop, but it still felt like it all over again. The clang of the holiday bells against the glass of the door made Ash look up from his phone. When he saw that Eiji had walked in with his eyes glued to his phone, he felt some tension leave his shoulders and his jaw go slack. He thought he’d never see Eiji again – that Eiji didn’t even remember him.

Ash got up from his usual spot seated behind the counter, pushing his hair back from his face and greeting Eiji like he did every customer.

“Hi, welcome to Nadia’s. What can I get for you today?”

He wasn’t sure if Eiji also recognized him. Their first meeting at a café late at night was short. Ash had asked Eiji if he could sit at his table. Ash had ventured out of his apartment because he couldn’t handle being alone with his thoughts – all the flashbacks that bothered him at night had been particularly bad that night. He’d take anything as a distraction. Eiji looked harmless – and pretty, Ash would admit now. Eiji had let Ash sit across from him. Ash didn’t even drink any of the coffee he’d bought, he just wanted to be someplace else. Before Eiji had left the café, he’d asked Ash for some kind of social media contact – anything to keep in touch.

“I’ll be moving here soon from Japan, so I think it’d be nice to try and meet up. I won’t know anybody,” Eiji had said, a nervous smile on his face.

Ash shrugged, sighing.

“I don’t actually have any social media pages. Not anymore anyways.”

Eiji looked slightly surprised, but also somewhat disappointed, which made Ash quickly try and recover the conversation.

“But I work at a shop near this café. We sell flowers.”

“Then I’ll look for the store when I come back,” Eiji said, smiling.

Eiji’s smile was contagious. Ash had never encountered such a warm, genuine face.

That was months ago when it was still cold out and the nights lasted longer. But Ash couldn’t forget him.

Seeing him again at the flower shop meant that Eiji had actually gone through the effort of finding it. Ash never gave him much to go on.

Ash couldn’t peel his eyes away from Eiji’s arms. Eiji was wearing a jacket when they’d first met, so he’d never seen the tattoos running along Eiji’s arms. On Eiji’s right arm were fluttering blue birds and deep red flowers, with a deep, dark wave-like pattern behind them. Eiji’s left arm had what looked like a phoenix gliding up to his neck. The tattoo continued in towards Eiji’s chest, rounding in at his shoulders. The dynamic colors were hard to look away from.

“I’m looking to get three flower arrangements,” Eiji said. “I remembered you said you worked at a flower shop.”

With that, Ash knew Eiji remembered him and must have recognized him. As he neared the counter, Ash was reminded just how young Eiji looked. When he’d met him at the café, Ash thought he was in high school, too, but a bit younger. And right now, his soft voice contrasted starkly with his tough appearance, taking Ash off guard. _If the tattoos weren’t there_ , Ash thought, _his voice might actually suit him._

“Sure. Pricing would depend on the kinds of flowers, though.” Ash leaned into the counter.

“I need them to go with this room. I took some photos. I think something simple is good.” He held his phone out to Ash.

The place had high burgundy walls and was well-lit from the overhead lights. There weren’t many windows, which made sense once Ash noticed the black tables. They looked like the kinds a masseuse would use.

A tattoo shop – makes sense, Ash thought.

“I think I have an idea.” Ash stepped out from behind the counter and motioned for Eiji to follow.

“Yellows and whites would look good with that deep red the walls are painted.” Ash pointed to some white orchids that lined a shelf.

“What kinds of arrangements does this place do?” Eiji asked.

Ash pulled his phone out, pulling up the company’s instagram account and holding his phone out for Eiji to see.

“This might give you some ideas for what you’d like.”

“Oh--I should follow that. I could come back later, right?”

Ash nodded.

“Yeah, anytime while we’re open.”

Ash went back to the store counter, picking out one of the business cards and writing his phone number on the back of it. Eiji stepped up across from him.

“Let me know when you decide on something.” He held the card out to Eiji, who took it carefully.

“Thank you, I’ll be back.”

Ash watched as Eiji exited the shop, the noon sunbeams shining through his black hair. He could make out more ink on Eiji’s back. He couldn’t quite make out what the design was, since most of it was covered with a tank top.

* * *

It took Eiji just a day to decide on what he’d wanted for the arrangements. When he texted Ash, that’s when Ash finally learned his name. The two of them went back and forth on ideas for Eiji’s tattoo parlor, and then it was settled that Ash would deliver the arrangements to Eiji’s shop. Usually Shorter took care of delivering arrangements and other orders, but Ash made Shorter let him do this one.

“What’s wrong with me showing up?” Shorter asked, setting one of the arrangements carefully into a crate to keep it standing.

“He doesn’t know you, he’ll get confused,” Ash said.

He placed the others on either side of where Shorter set the vase of dahlias.

“How dumb does a guy have to be to not realize someone coming into his shop with armfuls of flowers isn’t associated with his order?”

Ash sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Just let me do it, the shop’s literally just down the street.”

“Me doing the deliveries was the arrangement you agreed on years ago when I hired you,” Shorter said. “I still remember. ‘I don’t wanna deliver these. I can’t drive and it’s hot as balls out, I don’t wanna walk.’ You’re so delicate, I’m only looking out for you. It’s almost summer again.”

“This is one time--”

“No, you’re gonna deliver a whole lot more now,” Shorter said, pointing an accusing finger at Ash.

“But I still can’t legally drive your motorcycle,” Ash said, laughing, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Take a taxi,” Shorter spat.

Ash could tell Shorter was just being petty for the fun of it. The day had been slow for business.

After the short walk there, Ash failed to notice that the door to the tattoo parlor was a “pull” door and tried to lean into it to open it. The door didn’t give and Ash rolled his eyes, really hoping no one noticed him practically plowing his face into the glass. Before Ash could try to balance the crate of arrangements in one arm and get the door, it was pushed open for him, almost slamming into him.

“Can’t you read?” A harsh voice spat.

Ash met eyes with Yut-Lung’s and he immediately disliked him. There was a sour confidence in his gaze that came off as very egotistical. Ash stepped inside and Yut-Lung immediately let go of the door, going back into the tattoo parlor. The way the boy carried himself with a haughty, superficial confidence filled Ash’s chest with warm, simmering anger. Ash was the kind of guy who generally knew if he would like or hate somebody right off the bat.

“Sorry, I just wasn’t looking,” Ash said, a tense smirk finding its way onto his face and strained politeness staining his words.

Yut-Lung threw himself into a chair and rolled his eyes.

“So, what’s some kid doing in a tattoo shop?” Ash asked, setting the crate of arrangements down near the front counter.

“Excuse me?” Yut-Lung scoffed. “I work here.”

The sound of Eiji’s footsteps shut them both up before either boy could say something snarky or hostile to the other.

“Ash, thanks for coming!”

Eiji smiled as he approached while Yut-Lung retreated into a book, turning away from the others.

“Of course. Got any idea where you want these?”

Ash looked around the shop while Eiji considered his options.

The tattoo parlor was bigger than Ash expected, and even though it wasn’t busy at the moment, Ash noticed that Yut-Lung’s workstation was still in some kind of disarray from a previous guest.

The photo Eiji had shown him of the interior didn’t do the place justice in Ash’s opinion0. The walls were a deeper red in person and the photo didn’t have a good view of any of the artwork that had been framed and hung up on the walls. Ash guessed that some of it was Eiji’s, but had no idea how to read the signatures, which were all kanji.

Eiji stepped up to the crate of arrangements and carefully took one out. Ash glanced over at him, barely turning his head.

“Want me to do that?”

“No, I can put them where I want. But thanks again for bringing them. They look nice.”

The simple compliment made Ash smile. Although Nadia did the work for this arrangement, Ash still couldn’t help but smile at seeing how much Eiji enjoyed the simplistic elegance of them. It wasn’t often that Nadia got to do arrangements that reflected her family’s Chinese culture.

“These look like ikebana,” Eiji said, placing the arrangement he was carrying on the counter just to the right of the register.

“Yeah? Nadia probably kept that in mind, since you’re Japanese. I told her your tattoos looked very traditional. She likes knowing a bit about who she’s making arrangements for, and since she wasn’t there when you ordered them, I filled her in,” Ash said.

He continued gazing at the paintings. He stopped at a print of a golden tiger.

Eiji carried one of the other arrangements to the other end of the parlor, setting it on a counter that had a sink on the other end of it.

“See something you like?” He asked.

By now, Yut-Lung had peeked up from his book and was observing the two of them.

“Do you know who did the tiger painting?” Ash asked.

Eiji laughed.

“If I did, I would be almost two hundred,” he said.

He stepped up beside Ash, looking up at the framed reprint.

The tiger was the only thing on the canvas, standing boldly with a haughty, sturdy sense of pride. The painting was made up of dense, heavy lines and scratchy marks of fur. The tiger’s coat was almost copper, resembling pitch on a baseball field. Its yellow eyes glared above itself, gazing beyond the canvas. Ash liked how bold the cat was.

“It was painted by Kawanabe Kyosai,” Yut-Lung said, now looking back down at his book. He didn’t want the others to notice he was watching them. “He did political art as well. Of course, this is only a reprint, not the original. It’s not like Eiji could afford it.”

Ash wanted to roll his eyes, but when he turned to Eiji, he eased up. Eiji was smiling. Ash felt like he could get lost in that expression. He’d never seen anyone look so soft and gentle.

“He’s an artist I really look up to,” Eiji said, that warm smile still lingering in his eyes.

Ash didn’t know what to say to that. He’d never truly looked up to anyone – not that he would admit it anyway if he did.

“Y’know,” Yut-Lung cut in, “there’s gonna be a special art exhibition for ukiyo e artists like Kawanabe at the Brooklyn Museum. Eiji, you should go to it before the exhibition gets taken down. I think it starts next week.”

Eiji’s eyes widened, his face suddenly full of childish wonder. Ash felt himself smile as Eiji turned to Yut-Lung, surprised to see the tattooed man so full of glee like a small kid.

“Really!? I need to look it up!” Eiji quickly dug into his pocket for his phone.

Ash stepped back, trying to figure out how to leave, before Eiji stopped him.

“Ash, you should come with me,” he said.

“To the museum?”

“Yeah. I still don’t know my way around the city well. So you should come with me. I mean, you’re from here, right?”

Ash shrugged.

“Kinda. But sure, just text me when you wanna go. I’m sure I could get off work for it.”

“Good. I’ll let you know.”

“Sure,” Ash said as he crossed the room, grabbing the crate from the floor by the doorway.

“Where’s your appointment?” Eiji asked Yut-Lung.

Yut-Lung shrugged, flipping a page in his book.

“Probably late.”

Just as Ash was about to push the door open, a guest walked into the tattoo parlor.

“Ah, there he is,” Eiji said.

Yut-Lung got up and spoke with the guest, leading him to his workstation. Even though the kid was like a snake, he played polite and civil very well. It made Ash’s skin crawl to see.

_He’s so full of himself_ , Ash thought as he grabbed the door handle. 

Just before he could step out, Eiji waved at him from across the shop.

“See you later, Ash,” he called.

Ash smiled, giving Eiji a small wave.

“Bye.”

He stepped out into the warm noon day. Eiji’s cheerful expression kept playing over in his mind and he couldn’t help himself from smiling as he walked back to the flower shop.

* * *

It took Eiji just a few minutes to text Ash all the details for the museum exhibition after Ash had left the tattoo parlor, complete with links to the museum’s site. Eiji had the busier schedule of the two. Ash’s work was more predictable, but Eiji’s appointments were more scattered. Ash was surprised he had so many appointments to fulfill already. Even though Eiji was busy, though, he and Ash still messaged each other. It seemed like Eiji just wouldn’t leave his mind. -But ten days later, Ash met up with Eiji at the tattoo shop to walk to the museum with him. The place was open late on Thursdays, which worked for Eiji’s busy schedule, since he preferred not to work nights too often.

Ash waited at the doorway. Eiji stepped out, calling back inside to Yut-Lung to close up the shop later.

“So, which way is it?” Eiji asked, giving Ash that cozy smile again. Even just the ten days he didn’t see Eiji made Ash miss that smile. Looking at his cheerful face was like looking at warm sunlight.

Ash peeled himself from where he leaned against the window just beside the doorway, adjusting his jean jacket.

“This way. I think we’ll get a taxi in a bit. It’s not that far, but it looks like rain, so best to be safe.”

Ash slunk down the street, his long legs carrying him swiftly. Eiji tagged along just behind him.

“So, how long are you gonna stay in New York?” Ash asked.

He was somehow scared of the answer. He could feel his stomach sinking as he waited for a response.

Eiji dug his hands into his pockets.

“I’m not sure. Depends how well the shop does. I don’t have a problem staying here. There’s so much to do that it makes Tokyo feel like a village.”

Ash could hear the smile Eiji wore. A light relief came over him as he heard Eiji say he wouldn’t mind staying in the city. Ash still wanted to do things with Eiji and show him more of New York – more of himself, too, maybe.

They continued in comfortable silence for a few blocks and then Ash slowed down, stepping towards the street.

“Let’s get a taxi,” he said.

He stuck his hand out, getting the attention of one. He opened the door for Eiji and then told the driver where they were going. On the drive there, it began to rain.

The taxi pulled up right in front of the museum. Ash dug into his jacket pocket and paid the fare with cash and then got out, shutting the door after Eiji stepped out onto the sidewalk. He stared wide-eyed at the museum, his mouth hanging open. The museum was a monolithic building, sporting the dignified, regal flair of a political monument. Rain pelted the two of them as they stood on the sidewalk.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Ash offered, turning to glance at Eiji.

“Yeah, it looks like the Parthenon,” Eiji said.

Ash laughed, somehow surprised at Eiji’s comparison.

“Because of the columns? Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

Ash started walking to the spinning doors, Eiji following slowly behind him, still looking at the rest of the building in awe.

“Everything in America is so big.”

“You don’t have big museums in Japan?” Ash asked.

“No, we do. But this definitely looks bigger than any I’ve been to,” Eiji said.

They took the doors one at a time, Ash entering first and waiting for Eiji. Eiji stepped carefully into the rotating doors, clearly not used to them. When he stepped out, he sighed, letting out a little laugh.

“I always feel like I’m gonna get stuck in those,” Eiji remarked.

Ash laughed again. The worry seemed very childish to him, but he sometimes felt the same.

Ash led the way to the way to the admissions counter, paying both his and Eiji’s fees.

“You didn’t have to pay. I probably make more money than you,” Eiji said.

“Yeah, but I wanted to be nice,” Ash said, smirking.

Eiji rolled his eyes but wasn’t genuinely annoyed.

As they wandered into the museum, Ash sort of taking the lead, the rain falling onto the expansive skylight was too soft to hear but made some long streaks and big droplets, like a wet car window. It was just starting to get dark outside, though, so it wouldn’t be for long that anyone could make out the rain on the skylight. They took the stairs to the third floor.

When they got to the exhibition of the ukyo e artists, Ash let Eiji take the lead. His approach through the framed and glass-enclosed art pieces was slow, but he was brimming with excitement, telling Ash in just barely a whisper all about what he knew about the artists he recognized. There were a few pieces he commented about that he hadn’t ever seen.

Ash was interested in the pieces but was more caught up in Eiji’s experience of it all. The way Eiji’s eyes lit up at the artwork made Ash want to watch him more than look at the different paintings and prints. Eiji’s passion for his craft and for art in general was obvious. Lots of the paintings looked similar to Eiji’s tattoos. The vibrant colors of the phoenix and blue birds on his arms and the wine-red flowers were the same colors as the ones in the paintings. It was like seeing Eiji’s tattoo work showcased. But Eiji would probably never feel his art was of the same caliber as these old, respected artists.

As they neared the end of the exhibition, Eiji gasped.

“Ash, look, it’s Kawanabe’s tiger,” he said, grabbing Ash’s arm and pulling him along to the print.

Ash was surprised at how different it looked from the reprint. The colors were more saturated, and the intimidating presence of the tiger was even stronger.

They both stood there a moment before Ash took out his phone.

“Ash, they said no photos,” Eiji said, scrambling to shove Ash’s hands back down in case one of the workers noticed.

Ash shrugged.

“I’m not gonna use the flash. Stand next to it, you should get a photo with it.”

Eiji nervously inched closer to the tiger and Ash took the photo quickly, glancing around as he clicked the shutter.

“I bet the resolution is gonna look terrible on a phone camera,” Eiji said, laughing.

“What’s it matter?” Ash asked, shoving his phone away.

“I do photography on the side, so I’m just kind of picky about that,” Eiji said, laughing nervously.

“Oh really?” Ash raised an eyebrow, glancing down at Eiji.

He led the way out of the exhibition, Eiji following beside him.

“Yeah. I used to do photography in high school, after I couldn’t do pole vaulting anymore because I got injured.”

_Pole vaulting_ , Ash thought. _That explains the shoulders_.

“Well, I could model for you sometime,” Ash offered, smirking.

“That’d be fun, I haven’t taken many photos in New York yet,” Eiji said.

“I think I know a place that’d be nice,” Ash said. He stopped for a moment, grabbing Eiji’s hand. “Wanna see the rest of the museum? We’ve still got a few hours before it closes.”

Eiji nodded.

“Yeah, this place is amazing.”

Ash led Eiji through the rest of the museum. The two of them talked back and forth for the rest of the time, strolling through various parts of the museum. Eiji’s interest in art was, of course, not confined to just the artwork he did and admired. He was able to find things he liked about all sorts of works and would point out to Ash different techniques an artist used that he’d learned about or tried himself. Ash found himself feeling impressed with Eiji’s extensive knowledge, even though he wasn’t entirely clueless about some of it. But the excited passion Eiji had made him radiant. There was no way Ash could be bored listening to him.

When they’d left the museum, it was finally night out and the rain had let up to just a mist. But the heavy scent of rain still lingered in the air, the humidity making the atmosphere feel dense.

“Well, guess we should get you home, huh?” Ash asked, shifting his weight from one leg to the other as they waited to cross the noisy street.

“Yeah. I can take a taxi alone,” Eiji said.

Ash put an arm around Eiji’s shoulders as they crossed the street, merging in with the crowd. Eiji tensed at first, not expecting the close contact, but relaxing just as quickly.

“Nah, I can go with you. I wanna see you off, make sure you don’t get lost,” Ash said.

Eiji put his arm around Ash’s waist underneath his open jean jacket.

“The museum was fun. We should do something like that again,” he said.

Ash could feel himself blushing, not daring to look down, hoping Eiji wouldn’t notice. He could blame the reddish color of his face on the streetlights.

“Well then, why don’t we go to Central Park sometime? You said you do photography.”

“Sure. I’ve only been there once with Ibe back when I first came here. It was beautiful.”

“Alright then, it’s a date – er, uh, it’s set,” Ash said, scrambling to sound casual.

Eiji laughed, not used to Ash seeming so nervous, but enjoying it anyways. Ash always came off as so serious but seeing him act casual and more laid back was refreshing. There was a tinge of tension Ash seemed to carry and Eiji couldn’t just yet figure out what.

Ash hailed a cab and the two of them got in the back. Eiji told the driver his address and the car took off.

The apartment they arrived at was small. Ash didn’t go inside, even though he walked Eiji to the door and Eiji offered for him to come in. But Ash’s mind was racing too much.

“I guess I’ll see you next when we go to Central Park?” Eiji asked.

“Yeah, if we don’t plan anything else,” Ash said.

“Well, what’s stopping us from going there tomorrow?”

Ash shrugged.

“Nothing, I suppose.”

“So then, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Ash felt warmth bloom across his face and he hoped the dim hallway lights of Eiji’s apartment complex weren’t enough for him to notice.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow. Meet me there at noon.”

Eiji nodded and with that, he shut the apartment door. Ash lingered at the doorstep for a moment, just long enough to see a light go on through the blinds of the small window out at the hallway.

He turned to leave, feeling like an aerosol can, ready to explode with excitement.

* * *

When Ash got to Central Park, he was out of breath. Although he took a taxi there, when he got to the edge of the park, he rushed to the spot Eiji said he’d be waiting at.

Eiji stood up when he saw Ash, grinning.

“There you are. What took you so long?” Eiji asked.

Ash smiled, holding out the flowers, but still out of breath.

“I said I’d make this a date,” Ash said. “You gonna take them or what?”

Eiji looked at the flowers, then back up at Ash.

“The museum wasn’t a date?” He asked, trying his best to look cluelessly innocent.

Ash felt himself blushing, taken aback by Eiji trying to be smooth.

“Well, even if it was, so is this,” Ash said.

Eiji took the flowers and looked them over. It was a bouquet of yellow and red roses.

“These are really pretty. I never knew roses actually got so big,” Eiji said.

He held them a moment longer and then handed the flowers back to Ash.

“They can be your prop while I take photos. I’m busy holding the camera,” Eiji said, smirking.

Ash laughed, holding his own gift.

“I don’t come for free, though,” Ash said.

Eiji raised an eyebrow, which was enough of a question for Ash to clarify.

“You have to pay me for modeling.”

“Oh, sure, okay. What’s the fare?”

Ash leaned in, his hand stroking at Eiji’s face, not being able to help his smile.

“Just a kiss.”

Eiji smiled back, blushing nervously.

“Hope you’re fine being paid in advance,” he said, tugging at Ash’s jacket collar and planting a kiss against his lips.

Ash melted into the kiss, grabbing Eiji’s wrists. Eiji’s warm lips pressed to his made him forget everything else as he shut his eyes. He just wanted to feel Eiji’s kiss and the warmth of the sun.


End file.
